Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo turns down BYU, will stay with Midshipmen

Niumatalolo, one of only two LDS head coaches at the FBS level, would have been an exciting, if not potentially controversial hire for the BYU fanbase, given his extensive experience in option-orientated systems.

The program’s athletic department announced on Twitter Wednesday night that Ken Niumatalolo is staying in Annapolis.

After an emotional Niumatalolo spoke about the job after the Army-Navy rivalry game on Saturday, is seemed like his departure to join the Cougars was simply a matter of signing a contract. My faith is everything to me.

Niumatalolo added, “My faith is everything to me, and so this is the only reason I just feel like I need to listen to what they have to offer, and that’s it”.

Niumatalolo is the all-time winningest coach at Navy, with a 67-37 record in eight seasons after taking over for Paul Johnson, now coach at Georgia Tech, in December 2007.

Niumatalolo showed interest in the opening at Brigham Young University, touring the campus and interviewing with officials in Provo, Utah, on Monday.

The obvious candidate at this point would be Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, who reportedly interviewed with BYU on Tuesday. With a victory over Pitt in the Military Bowl, Navy (10-2) will finish in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2004 and only the second time since 1964.

However, fans will have to wait even longer to find out who will replace the recently-departed Bronco Mendenhall.